|
|
|
The Wrestler
(2008)
 
The Wrestler is to professional wrestling what Raging Bull was to competitive boxing twenty-eight years ago. The gritty showmanship of director Darren Aronofsky's film parallels the low-class entertainment provided by WWE wrestling while simultanously providing an intimate and moving portrayal of a desperate man whose dream has slipped away from him over the years.
The film follows the maudlin and often pathetic life of washed-up professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) as he makes his way through the independent circuit ,which primarily consists of memorabilia signings and wrestling matches in community centers. His struggles to lead a normal life are captured in heartbreaking detail as he attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and be more than just another customer to a local stripper (Marisa Tomei). After suffering a heart-attack, The Ram is forced to reevaluate his life, his dreams, and ultimately his failures.
In many ways, The Wrestler deviates from the established style and tone of director Aronofsky's work. While his previous films were highly stylized and contained elements of illusion or fantasy, this venture is startlingly real. Shot entirely handheld, one gets the feeling that they are actually there in the ring, in Randy's Dodge Ram, or the seedy strip club where he spends much of his time. The volatile movements of the camera can be jarring and gives the whole film a sense of importance and nowness that one gets when watching cheap reality television like Cops or When Animals Attack.
Sadly, the movie is 80% shots of Randy's back as he walks through his daily life, providing a nice point of view perspective but hiding much of Mickey Rourke's stellar performance. Whoever cast him in the title role of The Wrestler saw something that I think many others never would have in Rourke's own similarities to the character. A celebrity primarily respected for his work in the 80s, Rourke is the actor's version of the washed-up, scarred has-been wrestler of the film. Yet he delivers such a personal and moving performance that one can't help but feel deeply for Randy. Perhaps the role really is close enough to home to allow the normally campy Rourke to reach into somewhere and pull out a brilliantly real performance, but whatever the reason, this is one of the must-see performances of the year, and certainly a defining role in Rourke's career.
The supporting characters, namely Randy's
daughter Stephanie and his stripper love interest Cassidy, balance out the film, depicting their own prand of sadness and lost dreams. Tomei continues her recent trend of baring all (both physically and emotionally) as the single mother stripper struggling to keep it professional with Randy while Wood takes on a character starkly contrasted to her yung and carefree Lucy in last year's Across the Universe.
Bruce Springsteen contributes another Oscar-worthy song for the closing credits which contrasts with the nearly constant 80s hair metal of the film itself, but which effectively establishes the real contradiction in Randy's life. He wants a well-rounded and full life, but despite all his best efforts, he is limited to one thing that he is good at, and that's performing. The physical and emotional pains that come as a result are all just part of the game.
As a child of the 80s, who grew up watching Hulk Hogan,
the Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man Randy Savage and Jake the Snake battle it out in the ring on Saturday afternoons, I can't help but feel sorry for all of them now over 20 years later. The heyday of the sport is gone, and like Jake LaMotta, I imagine that those who attained wealth and fame in the glory days of professional wrestling can't ever really move on. I'm sure many wrestlers have retired to run used car dealershipts like the Ayatollah of the film, but for each one who has found a niche in the real world, I am sure there are just as many who remain prisoners of the past.
The Wrestler easily makes its way into my top films of the year and serves as another gem in Darren Aronofsky's growing crown of achievements. Mickey Rourke storms back into the spotlight as more than just a one-trick pony and delivers the performance of the year. This is as much a must-see film as your likely to encounter this year.
-Mark Moreland
|
|
|
|
All contents ©
2004-2009 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
|
|
 |
Director:
Darren Aronofsky
Writer: Robert D. Siegel
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Runtime: 109
min
Rating: R
Release Date: December 17, 2008
|
|
 |
|
